There are many types of running shoes and many types of other athletic shoes that are used for athletic events such as soccer, baseball, golf, etc. There are also athletic shoes that are used for hiking, climbing etc. All such shoes may be used in inclement weather, such as rain, snow, severe cold, etc. Shoes used for hiking and climbing are typically used in areas with dangerous biting insects.
There are a number of problem with shoe covers. One problem is that many shoe covers cover both the top and sole portion of the shoe making the shoe hard to use for running, hiking, golf, football, baseball, or other athletic events. Another problem is that many shoe covers do not protect an ankle or leg of a wearer and protect only the shoe. Another problem is that many shoe covers do not attach to pre-existing features of the shoes they cover. Another problem is that many shoe covers do not provide any protection against biting insects such as ticks that can cause serious diseases such as Lyme disease. Another problem is that many shoe covers do not protect the ankle area allowing rain, sleet, snow, dirt, stones, debris or plant material to enter the shoe cover.
There have been some attempts for solving some of the problems associated with shoe cover. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,671,588 that issued to Hampton teaches “a shoe cover having a covering sized to receive a shoe and a sole coupled to the covering. In one example embodiment, the covering is made of an elastic material and the sole includes a serrated edge for expanding a perimeter portion of the sole.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,443,528 that issued to Kann teaches “A bottomless rainproof shoe cover assembly includes a shoe cover and a fixture. The shoe cover is formed into one body by injection molding. One side of the shoe cover is provided with a lateral opening. Fastening tapes are provided on both sides of the lateral opening. The lower periphery of the shoe cover is provided with protrusions. The top surface of the shoe cover is provided with protrusions to form a fixing trough. Both sides of the fixing trough are provided with a positioning hole. The fixture is positioned in the fixing trough for keeping the shoe cover in shape. The present invention provides a greater degree of coverage and convenience in use. Further, the manufacturing process, the amount of materials and the cost are reduced.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,407,917 that issued to Barrick teaches “An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for a shoe cover. The shoe cover is useful for muffling sound of the wearer. The apparatus contains a padded sole, an encasing material, vertical straps, an attachment mechanism on the straps, and a replaceable cover. The replaceable cover can be substituted when the replaceable cover becomes worn or when a different type of cover is desirable.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,474,153 that issued to Brie teaches “he present invention provides a shoe cover to adaptively fit over a shoe. The show cover has a sole, which includes at least two rigid bands of rigid material, disposed on the bottom of the sole and arranged in spaced relation to each other on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis of the sole, thereby rigidifying the sole. The sole also has an elastic band of the flexible material, spanning longitudinally between the two rigid bands from the front to the rear of the sole, thereby enabling lateral flexibility to adapt to a shoe. The present invention also provides a rigid L-shaped element, each including a first portion on the ground side, a second portion on the side wall, and a fulcrum joining them, to clamp an inserted shoe. A double injection method for producing the above is also provided.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,453,355 that issued to Kay teaches “A cover for cleated shoes. The shoe cover has a ball area, a heel area, and a mid-foot area between the ball area and the heel area. At least the mid-foot area is formed of stretchable material and is thinner than the material forming the ball area and heel of the sole. An internal support member is located internally in the ball area and/or heel area of the sole. An upper portion extends upward from the sole portion and defines a toe cup and a heel cup, with the upper portion being formed of stretchable material in at least the mid-foot area, and which has an opening formed therein to allow shoe and/or foot access to the shoe cover.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,316,563 that issued to Wiegner teaches “Disclosed is a shoe and an interchangeable shoe cover system. The system includes a shoe having an upper with a bottom surface, a sole having an upper surface. One or more slots are defined between the bottom surface of the upper and the upper surface of the sole. The system also includes a shoe cover having at least one rigidly flexible frame member configured to engage with the one or more slots. The shoe cover also includes a cover material portion securely attached to the frame member and that is configured to be extendible into the upper portion of the shoe to secure the cover, as well as pull it taught or tension it over the outer surface of the shoe.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,225,529 that issued to Simms teaches “A lightweight yet durable, self-adhering, protective overshoe with integrated cleaning bosses providing a more efficient and complete method for athletic cleat or boot cleaning, maintenance, handling and storage.”
U.S. Pat. No. 8,141,169 that issued to Saranga teaches “A lower leg protection device includes a knee protection section. A flanged shin protection section is flexibly connected to the knee protection section. At least one replaceable outer cushion is selectively secured to the knee protection section via a first strap, and at least one replaceable outer cushion is selectively secured to the shin protection section via a second strap.”
U.S. Pat. No. 7,937,852 that issued to Krehbiel teaches “A flexible, elastic gaiter device designed to doubly encircle an upper rim of a wearer's footwear as well as the wearer's ankle to block ingress of debris into the footwear upper rim while bracing wearer's ankle protecting it against external and internal injury. The device is an elongated generally rectangular article. It comprises a closed loop nylon plush fabric outer layer to which is foamed an inner layer of synthetic rubber based on polychloroprene. At one end of the article's rubbery layer a fastener strip of hook elements is attached. The gaiter device is applied with its rubbery layer bridging the footwear upper rim, and firmly stretched to a double wrap, then secured by fastening the strip of hook elements with the plush outer layer. Lower edge corners of the article are diagonally cropped so that, when stretched, the lower edge will not have unsightly exposed portions.”
U.S. Pat. No. 7,926,120 that issued to Birmingham teaches “The Impervagown and Impervashoe are made of material/fabric that is impervious to all fluids and liquids. The Impervawear prevents and protects against cross-contamination of harmful or negative fluids. This protection allows employees to work comfortably and effectively in dry clothing for the duration of their work shift. By doing so, employees will be more confident in their approach to patient care, specifically giving “showers”. Most importantly, the purpose of Impervawear is to allow for an increase in patient “showers” improving hygiene, decreasing the probability of bedsores and allowing patients to experience the peace of mind and confidence they deserve.”
U.S. Pat. No. 7,165,342 that issued to Sheen teaches “The shoe cover is formed from two sheets of tough flexible material shaped to cooperatively shield a shoe. The first sheet forms a first shield member for protecting the metatarsal area of a foot or shoe. The second sheet forms a second shield member, adjustably attachable to the first shield member and shaped to generally cover the toe area of the shoes. Eyelets are arranged on a fold area of the first shield member between fastener patches so that the upper portion of the sheet can be folded upon itself to cover shoelaces tied through the eyelets and the tongues of the shoes. A wide patch of hook and loop fastener material is secured onto the back face of the first shield member to cooperate with a narrower strip of fastener material secured to the second shield member to adjustably cover the toes of shoes in a range of sizes.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,328 that issued to Rosen teaches “shoe cover has an upper and a sole connected to the upper. The upper includes at least one, self-supporting and resilient shoe admission portion connected to the sole. The shoe admission portion has an inwardly inclined lead-in surface extending toward the sole, and an overhang surface extending from the lead-in surface toward the sole portion. The overhang surface is adapted to form an undercut area so that a shoe to be held to the shoe cover first engages and slides along the inclined lead-in surface to resiliently expand the admission portion outwardly without being crushed, and then slides into engagement with the overhang surface to enter the undercut area. A length adjusting mechanism may be provided for adjusting the length of the sole.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,555 that issued to Williams teaches “A lower leg and foot cover for covering the knee and lower leg regions of a user's pants and the front of the user's shoes from soiling and soaking. The lower leg and foot cover includes a knee cover which is coupled to an upper end of a flexible lower leg cover. A flexible shoe cover is coupled to a lower end of the lower leg cover. Flexible straps are provided for securing the knee cover and the lower leg cover to the wearer's leg.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,258 that issued to “A flexible shoe protector for shielding shoes from scratches and abrasions having an upper member that extends over a front top portion of a shoe, a lower member extending below a front sole portion of the shoe and extending rearwardly toward the heel of the shoe, and an intermediate flexible portion connected between the upper member and the lower member. The intermediate flexible portion is capable of stretching to accommodate a variety of sizes and shapes of different shoes. A flexible strap member is attached to a rearward portion of the intermediate flexible portion so that the strap member is used to stretch about a rearward portion of the shoe above the heel, for securement of the shoe cover to the shoe. The flexible strap and the intermediate portion are made from a material having elastic qualities, such as Spandex. A rubber portion is attached to the bottom of the lower member to provide traction when a wearer is wearing the shoe protector. Optional features include the addition of reflecting material or glow-in-the-dark material to the shoe protector, for increased visibility in darkness.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,607 that issued to Schurch teaches “A shoe cover for being worn over the shoes consists of a cover foil adapted to protect the shoe and at least a part of the calf of a person and a reinforcing foil adapted to reinforce at least the sole portion of the cover foil. The cover foil is made of a first soft or plasticized polymer, and the reinforcing foil is made of a second soft or plasticized polymer. Besides the sole portion, the cover foil consists of a shaft portion. The sole portion of the cover foil is reinforced by the reinforcing foil by welding them together by means of a plurality of punctual welding points. Those welding points form a plurality of punctual recesses in the reinforcing foil, which recesses cause a sucker effect, such that a high adhesion between the shoe cover and the ground results. At the shaft portion, the cover foil is provided with a strap or a tape which allows to tighten the shoe cover at the foot or calf of a person. Such a shoe cover is lightweight, may be used several times and, due to the fact that it may be folded, needs not much space for storing.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,822 that issued to Diaz teaches “A flexible protective cover for boots and shoes to protect the wearer from injury. The cover is a unitary member covering the toe and forward portion of the shoe or boot, extending to the ankle on both sides of the shoe or boot and backwardly to cover the back of the shoe or boot. The protective cover is partially removable from the shoe or boot having a back portion which is removably secured about the back of the shoe or boot. The toe portion of the protective cover is permanently secured to the toe portion of the shoe or boot. Preferably, the toe portion of the protective cover is sewn to the sole plane of the shoe or boot. In a preferred embodiment, a tab is formed on one side of the protective cover. The tab secures the side portions of the protective cover to the back of the shoe or boot. The protective cover is preferably a multi-layer member having a lining means formed of a high modulus fiber.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,386 that issued to Diaz teaches “A flexible protective cover for boots, shoes and the like to protect the wearer from injury from a chainsaw. The cover has a lining of layers of high modulus fiber fabric between an inner layer and a outer layer of durable fabric. The lining is secured between the inner layer and the outer layer by a quilt-like stitching. The protective cover is folded to conform to the instep of the shoe and extend to the ankle. A strap and fasteners are attached to the cover to permit the cover to be secured over the shoe in a rapid and easy manner. In a preferred embodiment, a tab is formed on one side of the cover and a bail is attached to the other side of the cover. The tab is pulled through the bail and returned approximately 180.degree. to the one side of the cover. The tab is held by quick-release fasteners to the one side of the cover thereby firmly securing the cover longitudinally to the boot or shoe. Transverse fastening means are provided between the lower edge of the side portions of the cover and the sole plane of the shoe. A cord formed of lining fibers is attached to the lower edge of the side portions of the cover to provide additional protection to the edge of the cover.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,182 that issued to Michael teaches “Disclosed herein is a shoe cover which has an open-ended bottom such that when the shoe cover is placed over a shoe, the uppers portion of the shoe is covered and protected while the sole of the shoe is at least partially exposed so that the traction of the shoe itself may be utilized by the wearer. In more refined embodiments, the shoe cover is provided with a number of methods for providing additional securement of the shoe cover to the shoe of a wearer.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,216 that issued to Blackburn teaches “A protective garment is fed pressurized air through a hood piece connected to a pressurized air source and expels the air through air breather panels formed in the lower leg portions of the garment to prevent ballooning of the garment.”
U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,633 that issued to Edgerton teaches “A sole-less shoe top cover is formed of a single thickness of flexible fabric for protecting a shoe upper from paint or plaster drippings. Three vertically spaced lines of stitched elastic cords are stitched in-and-out around the lower portion of the cover.”
U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,429 that issued to Alcala teaches “There as disclosed a disposable shoe cover and method of continuously manufacturing the shoe covers from two source rolls of flat, flexible material, producing no scrap.”
U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,439 that issued to Abramson teaches “A shoe cover is described for use in dust-free and decontamination rooms, as protective rainwear, or the like, characterized in that it is made as a one-piece unit of thin, pliable, elastic material including a sole portion and a top portion formed in the shape of a foot to tightly enclose the complete wearer's shoe and to extend slightly above and to grip its upper edge, the outer face of the shoe cover being formed with a network of ribs which increase its tensile and shear strength, isolate tears, and reduce slip. Also described is a method of making the shoe cover wherein a form is dipped obliquely into a latex bath after having been coated with a coagulant, is dried, and is then stripped of the produced shoe cover.”
U.S. Design Pat. No. D686,806 that issued to Belcher teaches “The ornamental design for a shoe cover, as shown and described.”
U.S. Design Pat. No. D683,114 that issued to Verdell teaches “The ornamental design for a shoe cover, as shown and described.”
U.S. Design Pat. No. D672,537 that issued to Birmingham teaches “The ornamental design for a shoe cover, as shown and described.”
U.S. Design Pat. No. D671,719 that issued to LaConte “The ornamental design for a shoe cover, as shown and described.”
U.S. Design Pat. No. D636,977 that issued to Yarn teaches “The ornamental design for a shoe cover, as shown and described.”
U.S. Design Pat. No. D636,977 that issued to Sheppard teaches “The ornamental design for a shoe cover, as shown and described.”
U.S. Design Pat. No. D404,189 that issued to Watson “The ornamental design for a shoe cover, as shown and described.”
However, none of these solutions solve all the problems associated with shoe cover. Thus, it is desirable to provide a new type of shoe cover.